University of South Carolina uses telehealth to help fill psychiatrist gap

The University of South Carolina has reported on how the school has been recognizing the changes in the healthcare landscape as it relates to the introduction and implementation of telehealth technology.

Dr. Meera Narasimhan, professor and chair of clinical neuropsychiatry and behavioral science and associate provost for health sciences at the University of South Carolina, has been spearheading the efforts of telepsychiatry for several years. He says, “Telehealth is changing the lives of patients and health care providers, allowing more collaborations and partnerships in real time to improve overall health and quality of life.”

Below are more interesting points from the article:

South Carolina has just 10 psychiatrists for every 100,000 people.

More than 30,000 patients in South Carolina have been evaluated through Narasimhan’s telepsychiatry projects with a calculated savings of $2,500 per patient compared with traditional face-to-face treatment.

Use of telehealth technology has been helpful in getting fast treatment for victims of stroke.

Doctors and professional healthcare providers have been able to collaborate online to help improve ways for treating Hepatitis C patients.

Dr. Divya Ahuja concludes the article by saying, “Telehealth improves access, alleviates the shortage of providers in underserved areas and reduces the burden and cost of transportation. It allows for us to deliver care at the doorstep of our citizens.”

Clocktree is here to help any healthcare provider or professional adopt this crucially useful technology in order to better serve their patients. The adoption of online technology has saturated so many other aspects of our every day lives, from shopping to banking and going to school, that it makes sense to include healthcare for the benefit of our lives. Learn more about the features and pricing of Clocktree and how you can use up to 10 hours of live video per month (unlimited providers and clients) and unlimited HIPAA storage at no charge.